Zhijiang, an alleged transnational crime kingpin accused by Beijing of running more than 200 illegal online gambling operations, was arrested in Bangkok on Wednesday, Thai police said.
The Chinese National is perhaps the most prominent figure among the alleged Cybercrime operators in Asia, and is linked to regional networks in the US.
He, 43, a Chinese national who also holds a Cambodian passport, was arrested by the Thai Police in 2022 on an International Warrant that asked him to run an online gambling operation.
A Thai Criminal Court ordered his extradition in May last year and another court upheld the decision on Monday after a legal team.
“The Chinese are asking for this suspect, which is a high priority for China,” Police Lieut Gen JIDROT BHURDEJ, an assistant commissioner.
China could get him to stand trial for operating illegal casinos and gambling websites, as well as the suspension of Myanmar and the launch of the Police Statement on Wednesday.
Responding to the extradition, his lawyer Sanya Eadjongdee called the process “unusual”, but did not elaborate. He said he continues to deny any wrongdoing.
At the time of his arrest, he had a gambling empire that included a $15bn casino, entertainment and tourism complex called Shwe Kokko on the Thai-Myanmar border.
The US Treasury Department in September imposed nine companies and individuals tied to ShWhe Kokko for their links to regional networks and traffic networks.
The border areas between Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia have become hubs for online fraud obtained from thousands of people who are forced to work in these compounds.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked by criminal gangs in South-East Asia in recent years and forced to work in Scam Centers, many of them located in Myanmar.
On Wednesday, the US imposed financial sanctions on a Myanmar militia group for supporting a Cyber Scam operation targeting American-controlled people.
The latest US sanctions aimed at Scam Networks target the democratic Karen army and an individual associated with Chinese organized crime, the Treasury department said.
“Criminal networks operating out of Burma are stealing billions of dollars from hardworking Americans through online scams,” said John Hurley, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, using an older name for the country.
“These same networks traffic people and help Fuel Burma’s brutal civil war. The [Trump] The administration will continue to use every tool we have to go after these cybercriminals — wherever they operate — and protect American families from their exploitation. “
With reuters and the associated press